President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss bilateral relation. Particular attention was paid to integration in the context of the Union State, as well as the possibility of expanding the cooperation of the EAEU with other countries and associations.
Sergey Lavrov's visit to Minsk became the first working visit after his reassignment to the post of the Foreign Minister. After a talk with the President of Belarus, the diplomat made a statement to the press. At the meeting, they considered the whole spectrum of bilateral relations. They also discussed economic projects, which, according to Sergei Lavrov, are developing very successfully.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister: "We spoke about the relations between our countries, on the one hand, and the EU and the North Atlantic alliance on the other. We have a common position: we are allies and we are not looking for confrontation with anybody. We want to develop equal, mutually respectful relations based on the principles of mutual benefit and equal indivisible security, when no one would ensure its security to the detriment of the security of others. On such foundations, we are ready to conduct dialogue with all countries, including a dialogue that is now actively developing between the EAEU and its foreign partners."
Among other things, the two politicians also discussed the preparations for the session of the Supreme State Council in Minsk.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister: "I have already had detailed and confidential negotiations with Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makey. We discussed the preparation for the meeting of the Supreme State Council.We do not yet have any obstacles that would make it necessary to change the approach to this event But, of course, those who are directly responsible for it must still confirm both the dates and the agenda. It is important that a very serious strategic document is submitted for approval. It includes priority areas and further tasks for the development of the Union State up to 2022. And, of course, we Ministries of Foreign Affairs agreed to keep under tight control the entire operation, which also involved other agencies of our governments. We examined a number of other issues of our cooperation."
The Belarusian-Russian relations are distinguished by a high level of interaction in various areas - from politics and economy to the social sphere and culture. As of last year, the trade between Minsk and Moscow amounted to over 32 billion dollars.
